He is he worst thing to happen,let them out early and weak punishment,the problem is you have 16 year olds,who can get a nasty surprise if they break the law,getting 8 year old,doing,nasty things. There are places in the highlands,with less police than Heartbeat and a "wild west" law and order ie no lawa and order.If there is a problem the police may have to drive miles.The police are too friendly with the criminals in these tiny coastal towns and are usually as much part of the problem as the solution.
This just makes it worse. If they evicted problem families quickly after 3 warnings,it would improve things but the main problem is you have whole families,living in a tiny village,everyone knows everyone,so the line between police,family and neibour becomes blurred,until KM,deals with these rural issues,crime will get worse.A few weeks ago,it reported Scotland,locks up more people than anyone else in Europe,the problrm is,they are letting out muderers and rapist far to early.The SNP are hopeless.
PE
____________
From: Mario Huet <mario@libertarian.
To: libertarian-
Sent: Sunday, 1 March, 2009 6:42:10
Subject: [LA-F] Scots criminal age to go up to 12
Scots criminal age to go up to 12
The age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is to be raised from
eight to 12, ministers have confirmed.
It will bring Scotland into line with most of Europe, but the Scottish
Government said the rise would not mean "letting off" younger offenders..
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said it was more appropriate to deal
with them in the children's hearings system.
The minimum age at which a child can be charged and brought before a
court is 10 in the rest of the UK.
The proposals form part of wide-ranging justice reforms being brought
forward by the Holyrood government.
The forthcoming Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill, if passed, would
also end a law allowing "unruly" teenagers who have not been convicted
of an offence to be put behind bars.
The move was welcomed by police, justice and prison officials, although
the Conservatives opposed plans to raise the age, while Labour raised
further concerns.
The age of criminal responsibility in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland is 10, although the UK Government is facing calls for an
increase, most recently from Rod Morgan, the former head of the Youth
Justice Board.
“ Prison is no place for children ”
Kenny MacAskill
Justice Secretary
Mr MacAskill said: "There is no good reason for Scotland to continue to
have the lowest age of criminal responsibility in Europe.
"Most importantly, the evidence shows prosecution at an early age
increases the chance of re-offending - so this change is about
preventing crime."
The justice secretary added: "This change does not mean any eight to
11-year-olds will be let off. Rather, they will be held to account in a
way that is appropriate for their stage of development and ensures that
we balance their needs with the need to protect our communities. "
No eight-year-old has been prosecuted in an adult court in Scotland in
the last five years, according to official figures, while 2,400 eight to
11-year-olds were referred on offence grounds in 2007-08 to children's
hearings, a volunteer-led system which aims to address youth-offending
based on their welfare needs.
'Hardened criminals'
Mr MacAskill also said he wanted to end the use of "unruly
certificates" , used to detain, in prison, 14 and 15-year-olds charged
with serious crimes and deemed to be of "unruly character".
The number of youngsters remanded in prison custody fell from 27 in
2006-07 to 13 the following year - but Mr MacAskill insisted: "Prison is
no place for children.
"By allowing more youngsters to be placed in secure care instead of
locked up in a prison alongside hardened criminals, we will ensure the
secure estate can be used to benefit both vulnerable young people and
the wider community."
The Scottish Liberal Democrats embraced the proposals and, while Labour
backed a review of the age limit, the party said the argument for
raising it to 12 had to be tested.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken said the case for the
increase had not been made.
"The fact that so few under-12s have been charged shows that the current
law is being applied with common sense and only in exceptional cases,"
he added.
The decision to raise the age to 12 was a key recommendation of an
earlier review by the Scottish Law Commission, as well as one of the
conclusions of a United Nations investigation into child rights.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ go/pr/fr/ -/1/hi/scotland/ 7916561.stm
Published: 2009/03/01 00:11:17 GMT
Sunday, 1 March 2009
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